Vendée Globe: Everything you need to know about the world’s toughest sailing race

Founded by French yachtsman Philippe Jeantot in 1989, the Vendée Globe is a single-handed non-stop round the world yacht race.

More people have been into space than have finished the Vendée, earning it the reputation as the world’s toughest sailing race.

Since 1992, the Vendée Globe has taken place every four years. The race sets off from its start / finish port of Les Sables d’Olonne, on the Atlantic coast of France, in November in order to avoid the worst of the Southern Ocean weather by sailing the Southern Ocean stage of the race in the Southern Hemisphere summer.

Who is racing in the 2024 Vendée Globe?

Entries opened for the 2024 Vendée Globe in February 2022, with 55 skippers registering their interest. As the 2024 race was oversubscribed, there was keen competition in the qualifying races to earn one of the coveted spots. 

2024 Vendée Globe skippers

  • Fabrice AMEDEO (Nexans – Wewise) – FRA
  • Romain ATTANASIO (Fortinet – Best Western) – FRA
  • Eric BELLION (STAND AS ONE) – FRA
  • Yannick BESTAVEN (Maître CoQ V) – FRA
  • Jérémie BEYOU (Charal) – FRA
  • Arnaud BOISSIÈRES (La Mie Câline) – FRA
  • Louis BURTON (Bureau Vallée) – FRA
  • Conrad COLMAN (MS Amlin) – USA/NZL
  • Antoine CORNIC (Human Immobilier) – FRA
  • Manuel COUSIN (Coup de Pouce) – FRA
  • Clarisse CRÉMER (L’Occitane en Provence) – FRA
  • Charlie DALIN (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) – FRA
  • Samantha DAVIES (Initiatives-Cœur) – GBR
  • Violette DORANGE (DeVenir) – FRA
  • Louis DUC (Fives Group – Lantana Environnement) – FRA
  • Benjamin DUTREUX (GUYOT environnement – Water Family) – FRA
  • Benjamin FERRÉ (Monnoyeur – Duo for a Job) – FRA
  • Sam GOODCHILD (VULNERABLE) – GBR
  • Pip HARE (Medallia) – GBR
  • Oliver HEER (Oliver Heer Ocean Racing) – SUI
  • Boris HERRMANN (Malizia – Seaexplorer) – GER
  • Isabelle JOSCHKE (MACSF) – FRA/GER
  • Jean LE CAM (Tout commence en Finistère – Armor-lux) – FRA
  • Tanguy LE TURQUAIS (Lazare) – FRA
  • Nicolas LUNVEN (Holcim – PRB) – FRA
  • Sébastien MARSSET (Foussier) – FRA
  • Paul MEILHAT (Biotherm) – FRA
  • Justine METTRAUX (TeamWork – Team SNEF) – SUI
  • Giancarlo PEDOTE (Prysmian) – ITA
  • Yoann RICHOMME (Paprec Arkéa) – FRA
  • Alan ROURA (Hublot) – SUI
  • Thomas RUYANT (VULNERABLE) – FRA
  • Damien SEGUIN (Groupe APICIL) – FRA
  • Kojiro SHIRAISHI (DMG MORI Global One) – JPN
  • Sébastien SIMON (Groupe Dubreuil) – FRA
  • Maxime SOREL (V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) – FRA
  • Guirec SOUDÉE (Freelance.com) – FRA
  • Denis VAN WEYNBERGH (D’Ieteren Group) – BEL
  • Szabolcs WEÖRES (New Europe) – HUN
  • Jingkun XU (Singchain Team Haikou) – CHN

What is the route for the 2024 Vendée Globe?

After departing from Les Sables d’Olonne on 10 November, the racers sail across the Atlantic and head south along the east coast of South America to avoid the South Atlantic High.

Upon entering the Southern Ocean, they will head east past the Cape of Good Hope and Australia’s Cape Leeuwin before sailing across the Pacific and rounding Cape Horn.

A final return journey back up the Atlantic follows Cape Horn as the sailors make their way to the finish off Sables d’Olonne. 

Follow the links below to read all the latest Vendée Globe news, features and analysis right here on yachtingworld.com

  • January 8, 2025

The Vendée Globe is the world’s ultimate race course: one non-stop lap of the globe. The race started in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on 10 November. There are three marks…

  • November 10, 2024

So who will win the 2024 Vendée Globe? Spoiler alert: we don’t know
. And that’s not only because of the Vendée Globe’s notorious attrition rate (somewhere between 1 in 4…